Laura Richard Email & Phone Number

United States

Melbourne, Florida, United States

Establishing a new division and developing marketing operations for a full-service marketing and advertising agency serving small to mid-size businesses. The Strategic & Enterprise division assists clients in need of strategic and integrated marketing solutions.• Analyze client portfolio to maximize revenue and profitability. • Redesign services and pricing strategies.• Develop marketing operations to improve efficiency and effectiveness, with the ability to scale.• Lead client relations, strategy development, and support teams.

Vice President of Marketing | Yakima, WA (Remote Telecommuting) Responsible for leading and executing the overall marketing strategy. Promoting a full array of financial services, with primary focus on home lending. • Driving lead acquisition and growth statewide through digital advertising, content and SEO.• Deepen relationships utilizing SalesForce Marketing Automation to deliver timely, relevant content. • Effectively leveraging storytelling across multiple channels, including social and earned media.• Leading remote marketing team and vendor relationships to ensure optimal performance and successful outcomes.Key Accomplishments:•Improved home loan lead generation by optimizing underperforming digital advertising strategies and enhancing online application experience. Reduced average cost per lead from over $600 to under $100 per conversion.•Implemented new website and SEO strategies, resulting in 128% increase in website traffic and improved keyword rankings, with over 20 targeted keywords ranked in top 10.

Melbourne, Florida, United States

Member of Executive Management Team for the 3rd largest credit union in Florida with over $6 billion in assets and 61 branch locations, across multi-cultural markets. • Responsible for brand positioning and the overall marketing strategy, including digital marketing, mass media, public relations, social media, marketing collateral, and communications.• Successfully led team of nine marketing professionals and managed all agency relationships.• Planned and oversaw $5 million marketing budget; creating custom budget and project management system to increase transparency and stakeholder trust. Consistently exceeded goals, under budget.Key Accomplishments:• Elevated marketing role, transforming department from a fulfillment function to strategic partner.• Led complete rebranding strategy – logo, promise, personality, and position – educating and unifying organization around brand values. Effectively differentiated brand and grew awareness 150%.• Redesigned award-winning website. New users increased 67%, organic search improved 67%, and internet applications doubled. • Implemented extensive customer experience program, increasing member surveys 250%.• Conceived and ran consumer compliance committee and obtained CUNA certification in consumer compliance.

Orlando, Florida Area

Responsible for creating, developing, and managing marketing strategies for $1.2 billion credit union to promote brand awareness, membership growth, member retention, and loan growth. Recipient of numerous industry marketing awards.• Increase brand visibility through effective use of advertising, including outdoor, print, radio, television, and online advertising.• Conceive promotional campaigns and measure campaign effectiveness. • Drive social networking strategies to build trust and engagement using multiple social networks. • Oversee effective content management, monitor online reputation, and track KPIs to measure conversion and ROI. • Direct website content, link building, and SEO strategies to increase web traffic and conversion.• Produce optimized press releases relating to credit union news and activities within the community.• Utilize MCIF to promote member acquisition and retention, utilizing email and direct mail campaigns.• Develop new products and services, and direct project implementation.• Perform market research to identify competition and opportunities.• Compose, recommend, and manage $1.3 million marketing budget.• Supervise six marketing department employees.

Orlando, Florida Area

Hired to implement regional marketing initiatives for Southwest Florida division and its various business units. Conceived targeted campaigns, coordinated events, and identified and managed local sponsorship activities.Due to demonstrated ability to drive results, I quickly earned title of bank officer, and was promoted to a position within the state of Florida headquarters, supporting 500+ branch network. Identified business development and retention opportunities to support retail, wealth management, and commercial business units; and provided marketing assistance to five regional groups throughout Florida. • Planed successful events to maximize client interaction, and new business opportunities. • Conceptualized, designed, and executed statewide marketing campaigns in support of bank-wide goals and objectives.• Coordinated with corporate marketing groups to produce direct mail, print ads, radio scripts, and television spots ensuring targeted message for local audience, effectively utilizing resources and budget.

Greater Detroit Area

Successful seven-year career marked by progressive promotions, and performance appraisals consistently ranked among the top 3% of GMAC GRS’ workforce. Strategic Project Manager (2000 to 2003):• Assigned to manage and contribute to special projects effecting corporate goals. Projects included developing proposals in response to RFPs, directing communication plans for new client implementations, event planning for high profile advisory board, and managing brand image projects. Manager, Quality Assurance (1998 to 2000):• Responsible for formulating the Midwest region’s quality assurance programs, identifying customer preferences, measuring perceptions of performance, formulating process improvements, and working to implement corrective action. Manager, Rental Assistance (1996 to 1998):• Exceeded management expectations and transformed the rental assistance department, with 4 employees, from a cost-center into a profit-center with new revenue streams totaling over a quarter-million dollars annually.

Greater Detroit Area

Having identified a niche in the corporate lodging market I developed a comprehensive business and marketing plan for start-up company locating, leasing, and managing corporate apartments on behalf of companies nationwide. I achieved a profitable position within the first year and grew to four employees with annual sales totaling $244,000, servicing over 75 clients, and relocating 1,500 transferees annually with 100% customer satisfaction. Owning and operating my own company exposed me to all aspects of business including sales, marketing, finance and client relations; and I benefited from a unique perspective as a strategic thinker with appreciation of the bottom-line.

Master'S Degree

B.A. Employment Relations